Bound buttonhole gauge



BOUND BUTTONHOLE GAUGE Minnie M. Bates, Portland, Oreg.

Application October 12, 1953, Serial No. 385,554

3 Claims. (Cl. 33-190) This invention relates generally to the tailoring art and more particularly to the art of buttonhole making. Specifically my invention comprises a gauge or adjustable templet adapted to be used for accurately positioning and marking the guide lines required for assuring the proper positioning of a series of buttonholes as well as for cutting and stitching an individual buttonhole.

in this art it should be noted that there are two commonly used types of buttonholes. The simple buttonhole commonly used for light materials and generally on work of a less elegant nature is simply made by slashing the material and finishing the edge around the slash with a buttonhole stitch either by hand or by machine. The buttonhole stitch used is well known in the art.v

In the art of making the better quality of ladies dresses and suits the button holes are usually made of the bound type in which a strip about one inch wider than the buttonholes are long, of the material selected for binding the buttonholes is basted face down on the right side of the garment over the buttonhole location. The outline of the button hole one fourth inch wide and of the desired length is then marked on the top or wrong side of the binding strip and stitched all around. Then the two thicknesses of the goods are slashed along the center line to one fourth inch from the ends of the marked hole and then slashed to the corners. The added strip is then drawn through the hole to the back side of the goods, pressed, and blind stitched into place.

For proper appearance this type of buttonhole requires that all buttons of a series be uniformly spaced from the edge of the goods, uniformly spaced from hole to hole of the series and the outline of each buttonhole on the goods must be of uniform length and one fourth inch wide.

It is the principal object of my invention to provide a gauge by which a series of bound buttonhole positions can be accurately located on the goods with respect to one another and to the edge of the goods.

It is a second object to provide a gauge by which any bound buttonhole of a sexies may be outlined in exact size in its required location.

it is a third object to provide such a gauge which can be adjusted to provide (within the usually required limits) for the proper outlining and positioning of a series of bound buttonholes of any desired number, spacing, and length of hole.

It is a fourth object to provide such a gauge which is simple to construct, easy to use, and low in cost.

it should be noted that a variation of the above method of making a bound buttonhole is coming into some favor for even though it may take a little longer to make, it is a little easier for the amateur to make with a professional appearance. in this method the location of the buttonhole is marked one half inch wide and the desired length, which is usually the sum of the diameter plus the thickness of the button. A strip of the material one and one half inches wide and about one inch longer than the buttonhole is folded with the right side out to form a States Patent O l ice three thickness strip one half inch wide and stitched lengthwise one eighth inch from either edge, the stitching lines being one quarter inch apart. The strip is then placed with its center section on the right side of the goods and centered over the buttonhole location and the strip is stitched to the goods along the stitching lines of the strip for the length of the buttonhole. The back of the strip is then slashed full length on the center line of the buttonhole and the goods underneath the strip is cen- -ter slashed and corner clipped as above explained for the first mentioned type of bound buttonhole. The strip is then folded through the buttonhole in the goods, pressed on the back side and blind stitched in place. It is seen that for this type of bound buttonhole it is desirable not only to outline the buttonhole on the goods one quarter inch wide and the desired length but it is also desirable to mark the one half inch lines (one eighth inch each side of the one quarter inch buttonhole) which serve to locate the folded strip.

It is therefore a fth object of my invention to provide a bound buttonhole gauge in accordance with the above stated objects and to provide such a gauge by which the above mentioned strip location can also be accurately located and marked.

How these and other objects are attained will be made clear by the following description referring to the attached drawing `in which Fig. l is a plan or face view of the complete assembly of my bound buttonhole gauge.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged section along the line 2 2 of Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged section along the line 3-3 of Fig. l.

Like numerals of reference refer to like parts in the several gures of the drawing.

Referring now to the drawing there is shown a metal frame 11 about three sixty-fourths inch thick and having an H form in plan. The legs 12 and 13 and the bar 14 are each one half inch wide and formed between their ends with longitudinal slots 15, 16, 17 respectively. Slots 15 and 16 are three thirty-second inches wide for purposes of good construction while slot 17 is one fourth inch wide as an essential dimension of my invention. The outer edges of legs 12 and 13 are marked to one eighth inch spacing from their mid positions for tive inches toward each end, as shown, with the appropriate inch numbers on their inner edges for clarity. The bar 14 is two and three eighths inches long between legs 12 and 13 and is marked with one eighth inch spacing for two inches from leg 13 on one edge while the appropriate inch numbers are marked on the other edge of bar 14. Sliding bars 18 and 19 of similar intermediate cross section and similarly marked as bar 14 are of sufficient length to span the overall distance from outside to outside or' legs 12 and 13 and are slidably secured to legs 12 and 13 by clips 20, 21 and 22, 23 respectively. It is to be noted as indicated in Fig. 2 that clips Ztl and 21 are part of bar 18 and are each formed of part of the material sliced from bar 18 to make slot 24. In assembly the tongue of metal from slot 24 of which clip 21 is formed remains permanently attached to bar 18 at one end is center looped up through slot 16 in legs 13 and is then spread and pressed into its assembled position as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Similarly clip 2t) is assembled through slot 15 in leg 12 and similarly clips 22 and 23 are assembled through slots 15 and 16 to slidably secure bar 19 to legs 12 and 13. With this assembly it is seen that bars 18 and 19 are secured to legs 12 and 13 to be longitudinally slidable thereon but that bars 18 and 19 must remain perpendicular to legs 12 and 13 and parallel to bar 14.

Clips 25, 26, and 27 are slidably formed in position on bars 18, 14 and 19 respectively as shown in Figs. l and 3.

These clips are each three eighths inch wide so that when pressed against leg 12 the longitudinal slots in bars 18, 14 and 19 will each be open for a full length of two inches which is thought to be larger than any usual buttonhole.

In use clips 25, 26, and 27 are each slid into aposition spaced from leg 13 by the desired buttonhole length of about the diameter plus the thickness of the button to be used and the center lines of bars 18 and 19 are each, spaced from the center line of bar 14 the exact spacing desired for the buttonholes of the series to be made.

' If the first method of making bound buttonholes described above is to be used a strip of material with which the buttonhole is to be bound `and about one inch wider than the buttonhole length is basted face down to the right side of the panel over all of the buttonhole porltions. Then my gauge is laid on the binding strip with the leg 13 parallel to the edge of the panel and the inner edge of leg 13 spaced from the edge of the panel the distance desired for the outer end of the buttonhole. The slot 24 in bar 18 between clip 25 and leg 15 is then outlined on the panel as one buttonhole position. Similarly the slots in bars 14 yand 19 between clips 26 and 27 and leg 13 are outlined for the next and the third buttonhole. For marking on cloth I have found the thin edged chip of an almost used up bar of soap to be most satisfactory.

If there a-re more than three buttonholes in the series to be marked the gauge can be moved along the goods for a distance equal to two buttonhole spacings land the end bar slot registered on the last marked buttonhole position to mark additional positions.

If the second method of making bound buttonholes as described above is to be used the gauge is set for the particular buttons and spacing to be used and the gauge is placed directly on the right side of the panel in which the buttonholes are to be made. The gauge is located as above noted and the buttonhole positions are marked but in this case when each buttonhole position is marked the outside lines of bars 18, 14 yand 19 are also marked to give the proper line up for the folded strip binding used in making the buttonholes.

Having thus recited some of Ithe objects of my invention, illustrated and described a preferred form thereof and explained its use, it is apparent that others working in the art will find various equivalents thereof departing inconsequentially from my disclosure. I therefore intend to hold for myself all equivalent forms of my disclosed invention and define my invention in the following claims.

I claim:

l. A buttonhole templet comprising a frame member forming a first straight edge, a plurality of laterally eX- tending members slidably secured to said frame member to slide parallel to said straight edge, each of said lateral extending members comprising means forming a second straight edge and a third straight edge spaced parallel to said second straight edge, said second and third straight edges being perpendicular to said first straight edge and extending thereto, a plurality of sliding members, each of said sliding members being secured `to only one of said laterally extending members to slide therealong, and each of said sliding members including means forming a fourth straight edge parallel with said first straight edge and eX- tending between said second and third straight edges, whereby when said lateral members are spaced along said frame to a desired pattern and said sliding members are uniformly spaced from said first straight edge on said frame to a desired buttonhole length rand said frame is laid on a fabric in which buttonholes are to be made, the outlines of said buttonholes can be marked on said fabric by sliding a marking means on said fabric along the said four straight edges `associated with each of said laterally extending members.

2. A buttonhole templet comprising a frame of sheet material cut to an H form to include a pair of spaced parallel leg elements secured together by a bar element positioned perpendicularly thereto, an additional bar element slidably secured to said leg elements to slide therealong in spaced parallel relation to said bar element, each of said bar elements being formed to a desired overall width and with Ia longitudinal slot of desired width, and each of said bar elements including a slider element secured thereto for movement longitudinally therealong whereby said bar elements may be spaced vas desired and said sliders may be uniformly spaced as desired from one of said leg elements to form said slots in the desired outlines of `a plurality of spaced buttonholes.

3. A buttonhole templet comprising an elongated first member formed with a straight edge, a second elongated member secured to said first member, said secend member being formed with a first pair of spaced parallel straight edges perpendicular to said straight edge, a third member slidably carried on said second member, said third member being formed with a fourth straight edge parallel to said first straight edge, a fourth elongated member slidably secured to said first member, said fourth member being formed with a second pair of spaced parallel straight edges perpendicular to said first straight edge, a fifth member slidably carried on said fourth member and said fifth member being formed with a seventh straight edge parallel to said first straight edge, said first, fourth and first pair of straight edges being adapted "to bound a rectangular hole of adjustable length formed through said second member and said first, seventh and second pair of straight edges being adapted to bound a rectangular hole of adjustable length formed through said fourth member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 307,321 Osborn Oct. 28, 1884 353,064 Huffer Nov. 23, 1886 877,879 Ash Jan. 28, 1908 959,639 Stanton May 31, 1910 1,183,977 Hoeiie May 23, 1916 1,196,581 Pilgren Aug. 29, 1916 1,665,400 Bittner Apr. 10, 1928 2,429,015 Contrastano Oct. 14, 1947 2,613,446 Heimlich Oct. 14, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 120,520 Germany May 10, 1901 148,355 Germany Feb. 23, 1904 

